South Dakota Senator Tim Johnson says he now supports gay marriage. “After lengthy consideration, my views have evolved sufficiently to support marriage equality legislation,” Johnson said in a written statement. “This position doesn’t require any religious denomination to alter any of its tenets; it simply forbids government from discrimination regarding who can marry whom.”

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Breaking News! CNN brings us the latest update as the Supreme Court hears both sides on same-sex marriage. An excerpt of the CNN article is below.

Washington (CNN) — As partisans argued pointedly over same-sex marriage outside the U.S. Supreme Court building, either hoping for or dreading a landmark decision, justices inside seemed reluctant Tuesday to extend a sweeping constitutional right for gays and lesbian to wed in all 50 states.

In the first of two days of hearings on cases that have the potential to fundamentally alter how American law treats marriage, Justice Anthony Kennedy — considered the likely deciding vote on the divided court — questioned whether justices should even be hearing the issue.

“This was a deeply divided Supreme Court, and a court that seemed almost to be groping for an answer here,” said CNN Senior Legal Analyst Jeffrey Toobin, who watched the arguments over California’s Proposition 8, which bans same-sex marriage.

Voters approved the proposal 52% to 48% in November 2008, less than six months after the state Supreme Court ruled that marriage is a fundamental right that must be extended to same-sex couples.

The court will listen to arguments Wednesday on a separate challenge to the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which — like the California law — defines marriage as between a man and a woman.

The overriding legal question in the California case is whether the 14th Amendment guarantee of equal protection under the law prevents states from defining marriage as that state has.

Regarding allowing same-sex couples to marry, Justice Elena Kagan, a liberal member of the court, asked, “What harm is there to the institution of marriage?”

But more conservative members of the court took a go-slow approach. Justice Samuel Alito said the law on same-sex marriage is too new.

“There isn’t a lot of data on its effect” on children and the institution of marriage, he said.

While the justices were clearly torn on the larger constitutional questions, they may be poised to dismiss the appeal on jurisdictional grounds.

A key question is whether the private citizens who put Proposition 8 on California’s ballot have standing to defend it in court when the state’s governor and attorney general have refused to do so.

If the court dismisses the appeal on those grounds, it might mean lower federal court rulings declaring the proposition unconstitutional would stand.

But it wouldn’t allow for a broader, final rule outlining the power of states to say who can or can’t get married.
Kennedy admitted the law’s supporters are “not just any citizens.”

But he later raised concerns about whether the possibility of same-sex marriage was enough to establish they had suffered harm, a key jurisdictional hurdle allowing them to appeal in the first place.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor said it is the state’s responsibility — through its elected leaders — to defend laws in court, and that private individuals could not establish “how their injury was separate from everyone else.”

Attorneys who represented the two couples seeking to overturn Proposition 8 said they couldn’t tell how the court would rule.

“We are confident where the American people are going with this,” said Theodore Olson. “We don’t know for sure what the United States Supreme Court is going to do, but we’re very, very grateful they listened, they heard, they asked hard questions, and there’s no denying where the right is.”

Andrew Pugno, general counsel for the Protect Marriage Coalition, the group defending Proposition 8, said their attorney had “credibly presented the winning case for marriage.”

“We think the hearing went very well,” he told reporters.

Two of the key plaintiffs are Paul Katami and Jeff Zarrillo, a Burbank, California, couple who want to marry but can’t because of Proposition 8. They say the state is discriminating against them for their sexuality.
“It’s as simple as that,” Katami said after the hearing. “It’s our constitutional right and I cannot wait to start my family with Jeff.”

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Issues for elders are numerous and the challenges facing LGBT elders are even more so.

Take a peek at the Ethos Equality Fund for LGBT Elders, or read more about the organization below.

Today, few groups age with more challenges than lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBTs). Less likely to be partnered, more likely to be childless and too often estranged from their own families, LGBTs face significant barriers to healthy aging. Isolation, depression, substance abuse, and suicide are major risks.

The challenge of LGBT aging is one Ethos has eagerly taken on. A co-founder of the LGBT Aging Project, it is proud of its work helping LGBTs age with dignity and respect and has been a leader in addressing LGBT issues, namely:

-the first eldercare agency in the state to go through LGBT staff training,
-the first to open LGBT-friendly elder lunch sites,
-the first to offer LGBT-friendly volunteers, and
-the first to host support groups for LGBT caregivers, as well as those grieving the loss of loved ones.

While other mainstream aging services organizations in the state may finally be embracing the challenge, no other has shown as much leadership on LGBT issues as Ethos. We are also painfully aware of how much more needs to be done:

-more venues for older LGBTs to socialize and learn,
-more support for stressed-out and grieving LGBT caregivers,
-more LGBT-trained home care aides and personal care attendants,
-more support for LGBTs aging with HIV/ AIDS, and
-more safe LGBT-affirming housing opportunities are all desperately needed.

The announcement of the launch of the Ethos Equality Fund on Thursday, February 16th, 2012 will take place at the Boston Public Library in Copley Square, where we’ll be screening the award-winning documentary Gen Silent (filmed in Boston.) The Fund will be a resource to initiate, improve and expand aging services for LGBTs throughout greater Boston and will mark a significant step-forward for equality for older LGBTs and their caregivers.

Determining life’s final course should be a question of choice, not sexual orientation or gender identity.

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In the most recent video, Bill Clinton for Marriage Equality, from Marriage News Watch, we learn that not only is the former president for gay rights but that in addition to forward movement for Colorado’s civil unions, there are several favorable polls for marriage equality in key political states.

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After emotional testimony both for and against marriage equality, bills supporting gay marriage passed committees in tooth the Minnesota house and senate. There were so many beautiful stories about love and commitment from same sex couples and allies alike. Anti-gay opponents were equally as loud, although nothing new was offered. The usual “life will cease” and “will someone think about the children” were the general theme, as it has always been with bigotry. Recall debates about the civil rights of blacks and women…. Nothing new here, folks. Bigots only have one tactic… Fear.

Because of budgetary issues taking a priority, debate before the full house and senate will not happen for several weeks.